During harsh or cold weather, it is a good practice to protect plants from the wind and the elements. Although some gardeners believe it is advantageous to "keep a plant warm," this is actually incorrect. In fact, if a plant is allowed to warm up at the wrong time, premature spring growth may occur, resulting in dieback in the event of a cold snap. Without protection, winter plant injury may be caused by severe cold or loss of moisture from shoots or branches. Although it is normal for plant moisture to slowly evaporate throughout the winter, during periods of bright winter sunshine, the effect of strong winds may accelerate this drying process to an unacceptable level.
Thus, is it best to protect plants from fluctuations in temperature, which may be accomplished through some form of wind-break. Two devices currently used for this purpose, burlap and Styrofoam "rose cones," both have drawbacks. Burlap is dirty, difficult to drape over plants without an additional supporting structure, and it eventually rots out. Also, its darker color may absorb solar energy and cause unwanted heating, particularly if wrapped too tightly.
The typical rose cone, shown in FIG. 1, is unattractive and non-recyclable. Although these units are designed to be stacked on top of one another, being rigid and non-collapsible, they consume a considerable amount of volume when stored. In addition, the cone or pyramid shape defined by the interior of such covers is not conformal to the shape of most plants, forcing users to prune the plant in an undesirable way just to fit the cover over the plant.